All for the family
by Miss Barbara
Summary: Abby is alone at Christmas and McGee can't let that happen. Some holiday themed McAbby fluff.


Firstly I like to mention that I don't own them, as big of a shock as it might be.

Secondly, it was written for the Secret Santa Fanfic exchange at NFA, a McAbby holiday fluff piece, I do appriciate comments.

-----

All for the Family

Tim was more than ready for Christmas: the team had been working non-stop for the past few days and a few hours ago they had finally cracked the case. For a few moment he had believed that he had to work this Christmas, again. But some old-fashioned police work from Tony's side had given them the answer they needed so badly. He would drive home, quickly pack his bags and drive to his parents' house; maybe he would arrive there before midnight.

He was about to drive off the Navy Yard when he noticed from his backmirror that the lights in Abby's lab were still on. That was strange for several reasons. First, because they had already closed the case and there was nothing more to do for her; secondly because she was supposed to spend Christmas with her brother and his family, she had been looking forward to it for a few weeks and was supposed to leave hours ago. He signed and turned.

McGee parked his car and walked back in to the building. He greeted the night guards to whom he had wished a Merry Christmas just minutes ago. He quickly walked to Abby's lab, ignoring the confused looks he got. The first sign that something was wrong was the fact that there were no Christmas songs blasting trough her speakers. Abby was furiously typing at her computer and didn't even seem to notice that he was in her lab.

"Don't you have places to go, people to see, McGee?"

Okay, so he was wrong about that. But what scared him the most was how cold she sounded. In the world as he knew it Abby was Christmas. Right after Thanksgiving she would start with decorations, music and caff-nogg.

He walked over to her desk and turned her head so she would look him in the eye. "What's wrong? Don't you have a plane to catch?"

The hurt look in her eyes told him that he had touched a sensitive subject.

"Not anymore" she murmured before turning back to her computer.

"Tell me about it," he insisted. Even though he hoped that he could make it to his parents in time it was more important to him that Abby was happy. They weren't even dating anymore but Abby was still a big part of his life and he would do just about anything for her. And if that meant driving to his parents' in the middle of the night, so be it. He pulled a chair next to Abby's and sat down, waiting for an answer.

"My brother blew me off," she said as it if was no big deal. "So I decided to catch up on some cold cases since I have nowhere to go." Her words were emotionless but her body language showed a whole variety of emotions, frustration being the biggest.

He carefully placed his hand on her back for support and waited for her to elaborate.

Suddenly she turned to him and hugged him tightly for a few seconds, then she grabbed his shoulders and looked in Tm's eyes.. "Miranda's parents surprised them and the kids with a cruise to the Bahamas or something and there was no room for me, so he blew me off a few hours before I was suppose to take the plane." Her eyes teared up and Tim hugged her briefly. "And now there is nowhere to go. Ducky is visiting his mother, Ziva is in Tel Aviv to visit her family there, Tony is with some frat brothers in Las Vegas and Gibbs is probably drowning himself in bourbon while working on his boat."

Tears were now rolling down her face. "You are visiting your parents and that leaves me here, all by myself. Even the nuns are gone this holiday!" she sniffled and gave Tim a watery smile as he removed her tears with a handkerchief. "Enough with the pity party" she smiled. "I have evidence to process and you have family to see." She turned around and waited for Tim to leave.

"Come with me," Tim blurted out "Mother always makes tons of food and they will love you!" Abby looked at him and he smiled when he saw the glimmer of hope in her eyes. "I can't do that..." she hesitated, "I am not the type of girl your family likes and it's a family thing and all. I really just should stay here."

"Nonsense!" Tim answered "You turn every thing off, go home and pack your bag for a few days. I will pick you up from your place in two hours." He didn't wait for an answer but left the lab. Before he drove off he noticed that the light in her lab were turned off and he sped out of the Navy Yard with a smile to make sure that he wouldn't be late at her apartment.

* * *

Two hours later he pulled up in front of Abby's apartment and parked his car. He opened her door with his spare key and ran up the stairs. As already suspected Abby was running around, posing herself with various clothing combinations in front of the mirror. "Oh, McGee!" she yelped. "What should I wear? I have no appropriate clothing. No presents and nothing!" Tim smiled upon the sight of the damsel in distress. He planted her in a chair and grabbed a few items of clothing to put in her suitcase.

"We can stop at the mall to buy some presents," Tim smiled as he closed her suitcase and handed her a jacket. He carried the suitcase to her door and waited there for her. Much to his surprise she grabbed an other bag and stuffed some other items in it. He was curious what it could because if he was not mistaken he saw some presents. When he tried to sneak a peak Abby laughed and pushed him away.

They took a detour to the mall, Tim helped her pick out a few presents for his family and they bought some candy for on the road. Abby chatted away while sucking on a candy cane during the trip and Tim responded with a few "uh huhs" while he tried to focus on the road. The snow was falling and since it was already dark driving was harder. It was almost midnight when they finally arrived at the McGee residence. All the lights were still on and before they stepped out of the car a woman ran towards then.

"Timmy!" she said while hugging her son for a few minutes. "We've missed you," she said. "You should come by more often." McGee enjoyed his mothers attention for a few minutes before introducing her to Abby. As he suspected his mother was just as friendly to her and didn't react to her clothing at all.

He carried the bags inside while Abby and his mother walked before him. He smiled as he placed the bags in his old room. He realized that Abby was going to see his bedroom. He quickly looked around and locked away some of the things that potentially could be used to blackmail him.

Walking back to the living room he saw that Abby was being interrogated by his father, and he noticed that his father liked the answers she was giving him. He greeted his father with a manly handshake and his sister Sarah with a hug. She was sitting in front of the fireplace with a book, as suspected.

He went to talk to his mother in the kitchen. It was their thing; they always took a few minutes to get each other up to date--his mother told him about the things that happened with his family and neighbors, and he told about his job.

"So, you long have you and Abby been dating?" his mother asked.

Just before he could answer that question Abby walked in and sat on his lap, making herself comfortable. He sighed and realized that he had to disappoint his mother. He loved her very much, but she pushed him very much into a relationship. She had set up several dates with lovely girls but in they end they were all the same boring girls.

"I'm tired," Abby sighed. "Can we go to bed?" she asked McGee with a little smile.

Abby's mother smiled, "You two can take Tim's old room, we normally have a rule about not sleeping in the same bedroom but you can break that rule." she said as she winked suggestively towards them.

McGee flushed as he walked to the living room to wish his father and sister a good night. Upstairs he unpacked his bag and noticed the gifts he still had to put beneath the tree. With a smile he walked to to the living room again placed them carefully beneath the tree. Much to his surprise there were several presents for Abby. His mother probably had done some last minute shopping.

"Tim," his father smiled, "you chose a nice girl. Abigail is a decent young woman with a big enough brain to compete with you." Tim just nodded. "Just don't scare her away," his father warned him. "Your mother is driving me crazy about you not having a girlfriend." McGee smiled and wished his father again a good night.

Abby was preparing herself in the bathroom so he took the opportunity to quickly change in to a fresh pair of boxers and an old shirt. He sat in his bed and waited for Abby. He had a bed that a little bed smaller than a queen sized, so things would get cozy. After a few minutes Abby bounced into his bedroom, her black hair loose and wearing his old Johns Hopkins shirt. That shirt had never looked that good at him, he noticed. She placed a handful of her jewelry on his old desk and ducked next to him in bed.

"You have a nice family," she sighed as she snuggled close to him. "Thank you for taking me here, it is the best present I could wish for." Tim put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her even closer. "We might have a problem, though," he said. "My parents are kinda thinking that we are dating." Abby moved herself away from his and looked at him. "You didn't tell them?" she asked him full of disbelief.

"Well, I guess they just assumed, and when I was about to tell them, you came in and sat on my lap and then it was hard to explain that we were just friends." He used his best puppy dog eyes to convince Abby. "It could possibly be the best present she ever had for Christmas," he added with a smile. "Okay," Abby agreed with a smile to his surprise before she snuggled back to him.

----------------

The next morning Tim woke up by the sounds of a alarm clock. He tried to lift his arm to stop the annoying beeping but he realized that there was someone laying on his arm. He searched his mind and wondered if this was an other one night stand. He was nowhere near done thinking when he heard his bed partner talk.

"Merry Christmas, Timmy!" she said as she kissed his cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Abs," he said as he suddenly realized where he was.

He opened his eyes and enjoyed the sight of the sprawled goth on his arm and chest for a few seconds. Without her make-up and jewelry she looked much older, much more loveable. He was one of the few persons who knew her real age, and only because he had taken a look at her personnel file. He always tried to deny it for all that it's worth but lying here in bed with her, perfectly at peace, cuddling make him feel happy, and if he was completely honest with himself he knew he could fall in love with her again in a heartbeat.

Since he was trying to avoid that at any cost, he pushed her off his chest and stepped out of bed. Walking over to his closet he smiled when he noticed that Abby had hung her clothing in his closet as well. He picked out a pair of jeans and his new dress-shirt and stepped in to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

When he stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later, he noticed that Abby was already dressed and waiting for him to finish his shower so she could take over the bathroom. He waited for her and five minutes later they walked down the stairs. Faithful to her tradition, Elsa McGee had set the table for an extensive breakfast.

True to his family's traditions they would eat breakfast first, and they would take their time--last year they had spent more than two hours at the breakfast table, and he had loved every second of it. They didn't gather much as a family and there was always a lot of catching up to do. After breakfast they would go to the local retirement home to sing Christmas carols with other families. Back home again around noon they would open presents and wait for other family members to arrive.

Abby, who had never been the shy one to begin with, quickly joined the conversation. She gave smart answers to please his father and told his mother repeatedly how much of a gentleman she had raised. Before breakfast was over she had them all wrapped around her finger. Must be a McGee thing, Tim thought.

"You two can stay here if you like and hangout by the fireplace if you like," Elsa said, giving Abby a way out.

"But I love caroling," Abby pouted, not knowing that she had yet scored an other point in her favor with his family. He never understood why, but the whole singing to the elderly thing was pretty important to his parents, so he joined every year and tried to spread the fun. He might not be the best singer but they always told him that it was the intention that really counts.

The roads were cluttered with snow and the car door was frozen shut so Timothy McGee Sr. decided that they could walk their way to the retirement home. Abby grabbed his hand and intertwined her fingers with his. Walking close together they admired the beautiful sight of the snow on the houses and trees. More families added themselves to their group and Abby was introduced to the local community.

After half an hour they reached their destination. Brushing they snow off their coats they arranged themselves in groups. Abby and Tim landed in the group that would sing in the dementia ward. Together with fifteen other people they walked a few hallways before they entered a bright colored room. A dozen people were sitting in wheelchairs and some others were laying in their beds. They took place in an empty corner of the room. On of the members placed a keyboard on a table and started to play Silent Night. They started of hesitantly but after a few seconds everybody joined in.

They sang for an hour or so and Abby enjoyed every single moment of it. Those people didn't have much anymore but somehow they remembered the song and tried to sing along. When some of the people started to fall asleep again they decided to end it. Abby walked over to the people and wished every one of them a merry Christmas, receiving many hugs and kisses and even one half-eaten candy cane.

Together with Tim she walked back to his house. The other groups had long been gone, and they walked slowly over the snow-covered pavement. Even though they didn't have to play girlfriend and boyfriend, Abby still grabbed his hand and walked close to him.

They walked in silence, admiring the falling snowflakes and the winter wonderland that took place around them. He watched the white crystals fall down and when he noticed that they were a nice contrast to her black hair and black coat. A big flake landed on her nose and with a smile he wiped it off.

"I wish that time could stay still for a few minutes," Abby whispered as she looked Tim in the eyes. "Because a few minutes with you are better than an eternity alone."

Realizing how cliche she sounded Abby shifted her gaze and started to walk faster, pretending that she never said that. It took Tim a few seconds to catch up with her, and wondered what just had happened there. He nudged her side in a friendly way, but didn't get a response.

"What's wrong?" he asked her quietly, He could clearly see the change in her face and it frightened him a little.

"Nothing," she said with a small sigh. "Or well, everything," she decided after a few seconds. "I love this!" she said with her hand waving between the two of them. "Us," she added for clarification. "We are good together, but we are also very bad." her voice went up and she started talking faster, the ultimate sign that she was upset.

"I think I love you, or at least that I could love you. And you love me, which is good, because I am loveable, but we would never work out, because you want a steady relationship and I want to be free. You want to sit home and watch a movie and I want to dance into the small hours of the night. You are a geek and I am a goth. You are domestic where I am anything but. You want a nice girl with a quiet job who comes home at five and brings you a paper when you get home. That's not me!" she finally ended with a high shriek.

"You are right," he said while grabbing her hands. "A woman like that sounds awesome, but she would bore me out of my mind. She wouldn't challenge me, she wouldn't complete me. Not like you would." A small smile broke through on her face, and he lifted her up. He had this overwhelming urge to spin her around and he was just going to do that, because he could. Because they could, he had to believe that.

And while he stood there, spinning her around with snow falling around them, he felt different. The smile reached her eyes and somehow he knew that he could make it work, that they could make it work this time.

He put her down and she immediately wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back and realized how they still fitted perfectly together. "I want this to work," Abby murmured against his neck. "Me, too," McGee answered. "And we are going to make it work."

He linked their arms together and together they walked the last few minutes to Tim's house. The rest of his family was already waiting for them. With laughter and joy they opened their presents and thanked each other. Elsa had bought Abby some neutral gifts like bath fizzies and soap, but she loved them nonetheless.

After exchanging gifts everyone scattered to do their own thing. Grandparents, bothers, sisters, aunts and uncles would arrive in a few hours and until then everyone did their own thing. Abby asked for a tour of Tim's old bedroom and they went upstairs together.

He wanted to start at his desk, but Abby pulled him away, giggling, and sat him down on his desk chair. "I have something special for you," she explained while she searched through her bag. When she finally found it she handed him a small box, wrapped in red paper with a black bow, just as someone would expect from Abby. She always took great pleasure in wrapping her gifts. He carefully unwrapped the gift and was stunned when he saw what it was.

It was a picture of them dancing together at last week's Christmas party; they were at perfect peace together sliding across the dance floor. She had it framed in what probably was a homemade frame. It was wooden frame, painted black with glass crystals on it. Needless to say, Tim loved it. He would take a personal present every day of the week over some expensive thing without any real meaning. He smiled and kissed her cheek."It's perfect, Abs. I love it!"

"Now wait right here," he said while he walked over to his bag. "I have something for you, too." he said as he lifted out a small package and handed it to her. She eagerly opened it, and was stunned by what was inside. Two intricate Victorian style antique gold tone filigrees create a wonderful corset effect choker, tied with a cascading black satin criss-cross bow. Abby launched herself at him, almost knocking him over. "It's so beautiful!" she squealed as she started jumping up and down. "It's perfect!" she decided after admiring it over and over.

Tim was glad she liked it, it had been quiet an expensive present, and she was worth every dollar of it, but it would be a waste of money if she hated it.

Suddenly there were familiar voices downstairs and he realized that it had to be his family. He dragged Abby down the stairs and introduced her to his family. It went all very well. He enjoyed how well she blended in with his family. She chatted with his grandparents and played with his nieces and nephews. He walked over to the kitchen to give his mother a hand. He wasn't surprised to find that Sarah was already helping his mother. Taking an apron he started to stir some different things cooking on the stove. He had to be honest, he had no clue what it was, but it smelled good nonetheless.

Two hours later everyone was seated in their living room, it was cozy and even more intimate because of the small space available. He sat next to Abby and enjoyed how their fingers would touch each other every now and then. Abby enjoyed this meal and he was really happy that he had invited her, in fact it might have been the best thing he had done this year, maybe even in the last ten years.

He tried to engage in the conversation but he caught himself more than once staring at Abby. He admired how natural it all came to her. Suddenly he became aware that someone was talking to him. Uncle Harold was asking him a question.

"So, do I hear wedding bells?"

Tim did all he could to keep his dinner down while his mind analyzed the question. He thought about how to answer that for a few seconds. He knew that Abby never wanted to marry, she just didn't believe in marriage, two people loving each other was apparently enough for her. But his family, on the other hand, they expected a big wedding. To be honest, there was no good answer here.

Much to his surprise Abby grabbed his hand and answered for him.

"There are, in the far, far future. We are going to take it slowly," she said with a smile towards Tim. Still stunned, Tim forgot to eat until Abby raised his fork and fed him, giggling, a piece of his pie. Absentmindedly he finished the dinner and dragged Abby outside afterwards. There were now more snowflakes falling than that morning and they both were quickly covered in a thin layer of snow.

"I love you, you know that, right?" Abby asked Tim, more serious than ever. And there was no appropriate answer, there were no words for how he felt. So deciding that actions speak louder than words, he closed the gap between then and pressed his lips against hers.

It might have been the snow, it might have been the girl, but it felt like magic. As they parted she smiled and he smiled, and that's when he knew: everything would be good as long as they were together.

"Yeah, I know" he answered before linking their arms and walking into the night. He realized that this was the the true meaning of Christmas: being with the one you love.


End file.
